Union minister of road transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari, on October 20 laid the foundation stone of a multi model logistics park under Bharatmala Project at Jogighopa in Bongaigaon district of Assam through video conference.
Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, along with Union minister for food processing Rameswar Teli, Assam industries and commerce minister Chandra Mohan Patowary and food, civil supplies and consumers affairs minister Phani Bhushan Choudhury were present at the construction site of the project on the occasion.
The Assam government has transferred 200 acres of land belonging to Ashok Paper Mill for the project.
Designed as a state of art facility, the multi model logistics park at Jogighopa is envisioned to drive economic growth and trade competitiveness of the country through a truly integrated, seamless, efficient, reliable and cost-effective logistics network.
It is aimed to improve the logistics efficiency and facilitate the domestic and export-import trade in the region.
Speaking through video conference from New Delhi, Gadkari said that the project once completed would generate around 20 lakh direct and indirect employment. He informed that the project to be implemented with a cost of Rs 1171 crore in two phases and is proposed to be completed within 2023.
He appreciated the role of chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal for realization of the project and urged him to review implementation of NHIDCL every month for maintaining quality and timely completion of the project.
The Union minister said that his ministry has allocated around 80,000 crore for roads infrastructure development in Assam and informed that construction of Rs 5000 crore Dhubri-Phulbari bridge would start in next 2-3 months. He further said that the road from Guwahati to Jogighopa would also be upgraded to four lane.
Gadkari added that his ministry took steps for dredging of Brahmaputra and Barak rivers to boost trade from the region.
The Union minister also informed that the proposal for construction of Brahmaputra Express Highway is still under consideration and the bridge connecting Nimatighat in Jorhat with Majuli would be finalized shortly.
Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal in his speech thanked prime minister Narendra Modi and Union minister Nitin Gadkari for the initiative.
Sonowal said that setting up the multi model logistics park would revive trade links of erstwhile river port of Dhubri connecting it upto Chittagong port of Bangladesh and significantly boost domestic and international trade. He said that the project offers golden opportunity for the people of Assam for economic development.
